[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 120 (Wednesday, July 22, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H5168-H5169]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING CASSY DORNBUSCH ON HER RETIREMENT

  (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Ms. Kaptur 
of Ohio was recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority 
leader.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, this evening, I have real pleasure to send 
positive messages forward on so many of the phenomenal citizens that I 
represent here and their life stories.
  I rise today to celebrate an extraordinary Ohio educator, Cassy 
Dornbusch, from Ottawa County, Ohio, Congressional District 9. She was 
honored by the Coalition of Rural and Appalachian Schools as the 
Outstanding Elementary Teacher for the 2025-2026 School Year, this 
year.
  For 33 years, Cassy has been a reading specialist at Benton-Carroll-
Salem and a builder of futures. With patience, compassion, and 
unwavering belief in every child who walks through her door, she has 
helped students discover how to read, yes, but more importantly, how to 
believe in themselves.
  In every word of encouragement, Cassy shapes the confidence, 
curiosity, and resilience of young minds. Her impact lives on in the 
voices, dreams, and successes of her students.
  As she starts her well-earned retirement, we thank Cassy for her 
dedication, her heart, and the lasting difference she has made in each 
and every life. Our rocket future is brighter because of her.


                    Honoring Life of Paul Hollenbeck

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Paul 
Hollenbeck, an architect, mentor, and rare lifelong community builder. 
His precious insights to build progress forward in every corner of our 
city of Toledo is unparalleled.
  Paul was an astounding, creative, humble citizen, and he embodied the 
community's hopes in every nook and cranny, and he rarely got 
attention. He was very, very humble. He didn't look for notoriety. He 
believed deeply that places matter because people matter. He spent his 
life proving that belief brick by brick, neighborhood by neighborhood, 
project by project. He was unrelenting.
  I knew Paul as a friend and as a doer. He didn't just talk about 
civic responsibility. He lived it, and he set an example for others to 
follow.
  Through his leadership in creating the Toledo Design Collective, his 
vision for downtown Toledo, or his quiet mentorship of young architects 
and community leaders, he reimagined the redevelopment of urban spaces 
and neighborhoods, literally rebuilding America in this new century. He 
breathed new life into every corner of our community.
  Paul always demonstrated a focus on the future, and that good design 
for people is about dignity, access, opportunity, and respect for our 
built environment. He understood that cities are living places, shaped 
by generosity and care, and he gave Toledo both.

                              {time}  2020

  Paul brought people together, listened closely, and always asked how 
we could do better for the next generation.
  He leaves behind the Design Collective, The Collaborative building, 
and revitalized neighborhoods. More importantly, he leaves behind a 
grateful family, grateful friends, a grateful community, and a civic 
spirit we all can carry forward by innovating and caring for the 
precious legacy of our built environment in the largest fresh watershed 
in the entire Great Lakes. Paul Hollenbeck's legacy will live on in the 
voices, the dreams, and the successes that have happened across our 
region.
  I say to his family, to his friends, and to the architects with whom 
he spent so much of his life: Congratulations. Job well-done, Paul 
Hollenbeck.


                     Thanking Teacher Andre Cowell

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, our northwest Ohio region is lucky to have 
countless educators who guide our young people and help them grow into 
strong leaders of tomorrow. One of these educators is Andre Cowell.
  A retired Toledo detective now teaching criminal justice at 
Washington Local School District's Whitmer High School, he brings 25 
years of field experience to the classroom.
  Mr. Cowell's deep compassion extends to every student he encounters. 
A former student at Whitmer, Alivia Garcia, who wasn't even a student 
of Mr. Cowell's, spoke so highly of the impact he made on her life, I 
thought it was worth sharing here in the Halls of Congress. There are 
such good people everywhere, and he showed her true kindness in the 
wake of a difficult time in her life following the passing of her 
boyfriend.
  Mr. Cowell welcomed her into his classroom when she needed an ear to 
listen. He let her know if you ever need anything, I am always here, 
and you know where to find me.
  He kept his word and stays in touch with Alivia to this day.
  Mr. Cowell is a shining example of someone worthy of congressional 
recognition.
  The Whitmer community in northwestern Ohio is blessed to have an 
educator like Andre Cowell. He is a model of a man for others, sharing 
empathy and integrity for the generations to come.


                        St. Ursula Academy Visit

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to return to my alma mater, 
St. Ursula Academy in Toledo, Ohio, earlier this year to join the 
students at a sports rally that featured student-athletes--a lot of 
them. The event recognized the senior young women for their 
achievements.
  Special recognition was lauded on the 22 members of the dance team 
who, once again, prevailed as State of Ohio champions this year. These 
Arrows well represented our State and the academy at the UDA National 
Dance Team Competition earning a silver placement in jazz and a bronze 
placement in pom.
  I was able to present a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol to Coach 
Morgan Losby and her team of extraordinary dancers--boy, are they 
precision dancers--as our community honored their stellar performances 
this season.
  Mr. Speaker, please allow me to applaud all these disciplined 
student-athletes at St. Ursula Academy including those in--get ready--
basketball, gymnastics, swimming and diving, crew, lacrosse, tennis, 
track and field, soccer, softball, volleyball, and golf, in addition to 
the dance team.
  Congratulations to them all for their hard work and perseverance as 
they enjoy their hard-won plaudits and pursue their passions into the 
future. We know they will do well.


                           Canadian Wildfires

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, a serious issue is facing our continent. 
Right now, wildfires are ravaging our neighbors in the Canadian 
Province of Ontario which Ohio adjoins through Lake Erie. Many First 
Nation communities have been forced to evacuate. Hundreds of thousands 
of hectares of forests have burned.
  However, our northern neighbors were not the only ones who suffered. 
Just last week, in my hometown of Toledo, Ohio, hazardous air quality 
ranked among the highest levels in our Nation. As winds blew the smoke 
into northwestern Ohio, our community was at risk for the grave health 
concerns that accompany wildfire smoke: asthma attacks, heart attacks, 
and weakened immune systems.
  Burning forests remind us that environmental challenges like air 
pollution and wildfires, which will continue to be exacerbated by 
climate change, do not

[[Page H5169]]

stop at national borders. We in the Great Lakes nation must continue to 
work with our continental neighbor and strongest trading partner to 
share expertise on forest management and wildfire response.
  Joint efforts and collaboration are necessary to make both of our 
countries safer, healthier and more resilient. America belongs to all 
of us, no matter what side of the border one lives on. As allies 
working together, we can heal our freshwater and forest systems in our 
precious, bountiful, and life-sustaining freshwater region.


                         Extremism in Politics

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, this is not the first time I have urged 
Americans: Please lower the temperature. Political extremism and 
dangerous divisions among Americans are still cause for serious 
reflection.
  We have seen it time and again throughout our history, and we have 
seen, sadly, assassination attempts on the President, on former 
Presidents, on lawmakers at the State and Federal level, Supreme Court 
Justices, Governors, and many more.
  Last month, as the LGBTQ community celebrated Pride Month, families 
nationwide marked Father's Day. We saw another escalation that compels 
me to raise the issue of political extremism once again.
  A cruel and heartless person anonymously sent a false tip to State 
police in Michigan in an attempt to falsely claim that former 
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, had 
abused their twin 4-year-old children. Child Protective Services 
investigated competently and professionally and quickly realized that 
no abuse had taken place. That false flag proved to be a traumatic 
experience for the parents and their precious children alike.

  Dear Citizens of our Nation: Hatred is unacceptable. It is still 
alive and well in some corners and in some places in America. Call it 
out. Cruelty must not be our standard, and it should not be allowed 
without rebuke.
  I am sorry the Buttigieg family had to endure it. Loving families 
should live free of bigotry. We all need to lower the political 
temperature. Be kind. Be kind and be soulful.


           Regular Order and Energy and Water Appropriations

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say that the leaders of this 
Chamber need to allow a return to regular order. We are far from that.
  We see the constant churn of failed rule votes, budget bills 
hopelessly behind schedule, Congress sent home, dozens and dozens and 
dozens of days wasted going away from this Chamber rather than passing 
the bills that are critical, such as appropriation bills not receiving 
consideration in the timetable allowed, and with a hail Mary pass 
pivoting to congressional continuing resolutions instead of passing 
bills to effectively govern.
  The Appropriations Committee worked on each of our 12 bills. We did 
our job and tried to move them forward.
  For weeks, the Energy and Water Development bill impacting every 
Congressional District in our Nation has been purposefully delayed 
after a rule to consider it failed for no good reason.
  Now we head home. We are being sent home again for the August recess 
and district work period without Speaker Johnson allowing our work to 
be completed to fund our country for the coming fiscal year.
  The fiscal year ends the last day of September. The new fiscal year 
begins October 1. This Congress has failed in its duty. The clock is 
ticking even louder.
  I wish the leadership of this Chamber cared about returning to 
regular order. We are living through great disorder here, but they seem 
to be fine kicking the can down the road.
  This hurts every American family. As they prepare income tax forms, 
people can't get answers. It hurts the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
They can't hire the staff they need. It hurts every single American 
calling in to the Federal Government and trying to get answers to 
questions they have because of understaffing and uncertainty.
  This isn't the way to run a country of 340 million people. Someone 
has to restore regular order to this Congress and this House.

                              {time}  2030

  My fellow appropriators and I stand ready to do this work. We have 
done our work. The question is: Will this speaker and his team choose 
to meet our constitutional responsibilities in Article I? It is not at 
the end of the Constitution. It is not an amendment. It is Article I of 
the Constitution to meet our constitutional responsibilities to pass 
these critical bills to run the government of the United States, or are 
they going to cede the field again to more uncertainty and chaos?


            Trump's Social Security and Citizenship Database

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, the President's reckless and power-hungry 
administration has made yet another attempt to stifle the rights of 
millions of hardworking Americans.
  He implemented a lawless database that violated privacy rights. He 
compiled citizens' private Social Security information to illegally 
distribute that to States eager to purge voter rolls.
  This is on top of the administration's secret plan, alongside Speaker 
  Mike Johnson here in this House, to cut hard-earned Social Security 
and Medicare benefits.
  Not only was this data collection started under Elon Musk and his 
DOGE illegal team, a myriad of so-called data was fabricated and 
inaccurate.
  Americans were mislabeled as noncitizens or deceased by the database. 
They had their voter registrations canceled without any notification 
whatsoever:
  Thank goodness for the work of prosecutors and an ethical district 
court judge for blocking their illegal action. The damage has already 
been done.
  I urge every citizen listening, especially those who are senior 
citizens, go to a website called vote.org to check your registration 
status to ensure your rightful access to the ballot box. That is 
Vote.org to check your voter registration status to ensure your 
rightful access to the ballot box itself.
  Sadly, you and I both know that this will not be the last time this 
administration and their billionaire buddies try to limit your sacred 
right to vote.
  This year, please make your voices heard, check whether or not your 
name is registered as a voter that can vote this November or an early 
vote in your State if that is allowed. Check your voter registration at 
Vote.org.


   Compensating Veterans with Disability Pay and Retirement Benefits

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight in strong support of the 
bipartisan Major Richard Star Act.
  Servicemembers injured in the line of duty have already given so much 
to our Nation of their substance. They should not be forced to 
sacrifice again when they return home to their families.
  Many of these disabled veterans are unable to work full-time. They 
often face insurmountable challenges for the rest of their lives. Many 
are denied the full compensation they deserve for all their service.
  The Major Richard Star Act will correct this injustice by rightfully 
compensating these veterans with disability pay and retirement 
benefits.
  That is why I am a cosponsor of the bill and have signed the 
discharge petition to bring this essential piece of bipartisan 
legislation to the House floor for a fair up-or-down vote.
  I urge my colleagues who have not signed on to this petition to 
support our veterans and stand with me on their behalf. We are just 
three signatures away from being able to vote on and pass this bill 
which already has 337 bipartisan cosponsors. Let's bring it forward, 
and do the job.
  Mr. Speaker, I implore you to bring this monumental legislation for a 
clean vote, so we can give something back to those who have given so 
much for all of us and the generations to come. I ask my colleagues to 
sponsor the Major Richard Star Act, just sign the discharge petition. 
We only need three signatures more, and we can move this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________